Ex Oz tourism ambassador Lara Bingle promoting New Zealand instead

Melbourne, July 24 (ANI): Lara Bingle, who rose to fame following the 'Where the bloody hell are you' campaign for Tourism Australia, has turned her back on her homeland and is now promoting New Zealand.

The model and reality TV star appears in the latest installment of Air New Zealand's Kiwi Sceptics campaign, which is designed to change perceptions of The Land of the Long White Cloud in Australian who have never been there before, News.com.au reported.

While Bingle admitted that it was a bit "weird" to be promoting another country, she said her attitude was "the more the merrier".

"It's close to Australia so it's not like promoting India," she said.

"It's somewhere that represents me - I'm kind of that tomboy girl and I went heli-boarding and stayed in an igloo."

Bingle said the experience was "completely different" to the one she had during the filming of her previous campaign in Queensland's Whitsundays.

"I love going to the snow and snowboarding, skateboarding and wakeboarding," she said.

"It's nice to represent other parts of the world.

"The association is so nice for me instead of just fashion and beauty - it's something different and I love travelling.

"I got to travel with Tourism Australia and now I'm travelling with Air New Zealand."

But Bingle said she will never forget where she started.

"Tourism Australia helped me get to where I am today obviously... and it's definitely going to stick with me for the rest of my life," she said.

"When I went to New Zealand that's where the people there knew me from.

"I just never really thought much of New Zealand until I went. Now I'm planning another trip there," she added. (ANI)